Commutator for electric machines.



w. s. sUTToN. j I'JOMBII'ITOB4 FOB ELEGTBIU MACHINES.

Ponxqn Hmm any1'. 2a, 1901. 996,895. Patented July 4,1911.

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'WILLIAM S. `S'U'LCION', 0F MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR. T0 ALLIS-CHALMERS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEXV JERSEY.

i (it),III'MU'TA'IOIl. FOR ELECTRIC MACHINES.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit-known that I,W1LLrAM S. SUTTON, a citizen o fthe United States, and a resident of-Madison, intheconnty of Dane and vState of lVisconsln, have invented certain nev.r and useful/Im rovements in Commutators for Electric Mliichines; andi do herebydeclare that-the following is a full, clear, and exact description "thereof, reference being had to the accompanying draivinos, and to the letters lofI reference marke i thereon, which form a. part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in commutatorsgfor electric machines, and the invention consists in the matters 'hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.V

Amongjthe objects of the invention is to provide iin improved commutator constrncted 4and arranged to maintain the coinmutato'r .baits cool .and to overcome forces tending todisplace the bars either under the force 4ofcentrifugalaction (ir-thatexerted by retaining devices heretofore employed to` hold the commutator -bars in p.

ace, and without thouse of outsideletaining rin A further .object of the invention is to produce a commutator possessing these ad- 'vantages which is exceedinglysimle and orelatively .light in construction, yviich is strongiand durable and which is economical to manufacture i As shown in the drawings :-Figure l is atransverse section of a -Cpmmutetor made in accordance with m inventiomtalren on line 1- 1 -.of Fig-2. 11g..2 ,is an axial sectiont thereof, taken on line22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side'elevation of one of the end supportingfrngs' or members fof the commutator.. 40 Fig. ALis a sideelevatlon of an intermediate retaining or supporting member, Fig. 5 is a detilysectiom.taken4 on line 5--5 ofFig. 2. Fig. 6 isa erspective view of one of the commutator ars. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section-illustrating a modification, said sectionbeingtakenjn the ysame plane as Fig. 5.

A commutator embodying .the invention embraces,'in generali terms, a; plurality of intemnl supporting.. `memberswhicli preferably assume-.thegeneral form of rings, anda Specltleation of Letters Patent.

Application led S'ptember 23, 1907. Serial No` 394,055;

retouren July 4., 1911.

terial which is applied to the parts at the point where they are joined in assembled relation and which is thereafter fused over the surfaces of the parts at said points and solidified to constitute :i bond to rigidly connect the parts and at the same time to electrically insulate the eoniiiiutatonbars from their support. Thus said members of the Coiiiinutziior are reliably held or fastener] together withoutimposiiig any restraining pressure on the bars, which pressure, in coinmiitators heretofore made employing iiiternal retaininff rings, acts in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the bars with a tendency to displace the central parts of the bars and thus destroy the exterior cylindric face of the conmiutator presented to the actionof the brushes.

.A furthe-r feature of the improved commutator lies in Spacing the coinmutator bars a distance apar-tand thereby avoiding the necessity of insulation' between 4the bars except at the point-s where the bars are bonded to thc supporting rings or members, thus permitting the cominutator bars to be separated by nir gaps and to be reliably supported at longitudinally separated points by the use of a. very simple and elicient construction. The conimutator bars are therefore insulated principally by the air gaps between the bars, and said air gaps permit circulation of air therebetween, the bars acting as varies to produce such circulation.

Referring now.V more specifically to the several features of construction embodied in said improved commutator, with reference ito one approved design illustrated inthe drawings, the same are made as follows: 9, 9 designate the several commutat-or bars provided with any preferred forni of wire attaching lugs l0, 10; and 11, 11 and 12 designate internal supporting and retaining members which have the general form of rings as herein shown.- The outer supportin members 11 are formed to provide a plura ity of openings 13, 13 to admit air to the interior of the commutator and are Vprovided also wit-h central hubs or bearing portions 14 by which said end members are mounted on the armature shaftwor .other shaft ofthe electrical machine. VVhe-n the conuniitator bars are short the two end rings or members will ordinarily be suiiieient to supportfaud retain the commutator bars. When the comparts 'of the commutator.`

mntator is made of greater length, one or more of the intermediate retaining rings 12 will be employed. The said end an intermediate members or rings are formed with annular laterally extending ilanves, 15 and 16, respectively, which enter note les 17, 17 and 1S in the co|1nnutator bars, the notches 17 opening outwardly toward the ends of the bars, and the intermediate .notches 18 being specially shaped 0r fashioned to receive the intermediate retaining ring or rings. As herein shwn, said intermediate notches are formed at their mouths of a width to receive the flanges and the bodies of the intermediate rings and are nnder-eut at the ends long'itudiimllyr of the bars to receive the {langes} ltifof the intermediate ring when in its -finl assembled position. Thus an interlocking connection is formed like the interlocking connection between the notched ends of the bars .and ring tlanges. The said supporting and retaining members or rings may be formed from sheet metal by :n smple swaging process, or may be made of cast-metal, as preferred. Said intermediate rings are made of a radial width only sullieient to provide the necessary strength inasmuch as it is desirable, for the purpose of ventilation, to obstruct the interior of the commutator as little as practicable. The flanges of the supporting and rctaningmembers interlocking as they do with the commutator bars afford an exceedingly strong connection between said )arts to overcome the etlect of the centri uffal force tendina* to throw the bars outwardly, thus contributing greatly toward the strength of the connections betw'een the The notches in the eonnnutator bars to receive the interlockin parts of the retaining members are extende a sulicient distance into the bodies of said bars, which widen toward their outer sides to provide wide surface contact with-the f bonding material as is eonsistent'with the required strength of the bars and other structural conditions.

The bars `are held from endwiso and lateral displacement by a. bonding material which is fused on the surfaces of the parts at their points of eonuwlion, thus rigidly bindn"` said parts together without the use of mechanical means, as clamps, bolts, screws and the like. The said bonding material assesses high insulating propcrt ies whereby 1t serves also as means from the support-ing and retaining members. 'lhe insulatnly bonding iiaterial, such as enamel, is applied to the exterior surfaces of the flanges of the sup )orting and retaining rings or members, andl to the inner faces of the end members and to one face of the intermediate member and is also applied to the corresponding 'faces of the commutator bars to insulate the bara.

at the notches 17 and 18. The parts are assembled in any suitable assembling device constructed to hold the connnutator bars s aced the desired distance apart and to hold tie retaining rings or members in proper relation to, said commutator bars. The parts are locked in this relation and are placed' in an oven to fuse the bonding material to the proper consistency so that it will properly iiow over the surfaces of the parts to be joined. Thereafter the Vassembled device is removed from the annealingor fusing oven to allow the bonding material to set or ma or layer form which it has assumed under heat. The layers ofthe bonding material 'thus formed between the opposing faces of the commutator bars and rings or members areV designated by the reference numeral 20 in Figs. 2 and 5, said layers being fused ou said faces and constitutin a connecting bond between the parts. 'l` ie bonding material or enamel is applied to the arts in such quantities that, when under ieat, it flows between the separated commutator bars and against the ad]acent. side faces of said bars a short distance to form rib-like projections 21 which are united to the bars and thus increase the area of surface adhesion between the bonding layer and the commutatorbars. The section shown in Fig. 2 is taken in a plane that cuts the said ribs .21 of the bondmlr material. and said ribs are distinvuished from the layer ot' bonding materia between the opposing 'faces of the commutator bars and rings by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The bonding material may also be applied to the inner ends of the rommutator bars or the ends thereof, when in lace in the electrical machine, which are adgaeent to the armature, to provide a layerV 22 of the bonding material or enamel, which serves both the purposes of bonding or uniting the ends of the eommutator bars and the lugs 10 thereof, and also of providing a. complete layer of insulation between the armature and the eommutator, as will be clear by an inl spection of Fig. 2. F or the sake ofclearness of illustration of the air raps/between the bars, the insulation 22, ra ially beyond the end rings or members, is omitted from Fig. 1. Y

l'n Fig. 7 have shown bars` J as being spaced by -s which are nmterial. Said spacing blocks areshown/as extending bevond the. 'ends/of said bars/and are embedded in thelayr 26 of the bonding or enameling matvrialf etween the ends of said bars; and thazsi'ipportiug and etaining ring or nu-.mbo 1l,- Said spaci g blocks may he made. of anca or may be made of enamel, and the aide faces of the commutator bars adjacent or opposed to the faces of the commutator harden in tlie pacing blocks 25. made of any sultable insulating"v porting' and retaining members.

From the foregding it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple, strong and efficient commiitator construction which possess/s high insulating etliciency, and one which may be at all Itimes maintained suitably c l by the circulation of air betweeny the commutator bars. Such circulationof air may be-tliiat naturally produced by` the motion of the corninutator, or such circulation may be ya forced circulation produced la suitable 4air forcing devicewithin Aor communicating with the interior of the device. It will also be observed that the comrriuta `or bars are held or fixed to the supporting and retaining rings or members by means avofdinganv retaining pressure on the bars endwise t ereof such as tends to s ring the bars at their centers and thereby estroy thecontinuity of the cylindric face of Athe co mutator. The simple retaining means pr iJded permit the commutator to be built wits lig t commutator bars, while avoidingy the necessity i of using external bands or retaining devices. Thus the entire length of the cylindrie face of the commutator is availablelto the brushes. There being. no insulation betweeny the bars except at their points of joiningwith the supporting and retaining rings, the defect of relative shiftingof the barsfand insulation heretofore observedin commutators, due to differential ex ansion and contractionof the bars and insnliition,4 isnot resent. Thus the insi'ilatlon h'erein provi. ed is not disturbed by expansion andeontraction of to'r bars;

It is to be understood that the essential features ofthe invention may be embodied in constructions differing iu their details from the construction hei 2in sho.` fi and I do `not restrict myself, therefore to suoli details except as hereinafter made tli'o subject of specific claims.D

I claim as my invention 1. In a eomniutator, the combination of an internal supporting structure having an interior space with-outlets, a plurality of the commutaspaced commutator bars supported thereon,

the spaces between said bars connuunicating with the Space Within tlic supporting structure and a fusible adhesive lfond of insulating material between said bars and said supporting .tructui-e.

i 2. 'In a commutator, the combination of a plurality of spaced supporting rings provided with flanges, a plurality of spaced commutator bars` provided with notchesl into which the flanges of' the supporting rings extend, and a bond of fusible insulating material joining said bars to said supporting rings and insulating them therefrom.

l3. gli a cmmutator, the combination of a p ura ity o spaced sup ortin rin s rovided with holes connecItJing the spicepbetween such rings with the atmosphere, a plurality of spaced commutator bars arranged around the peripheries of said rings, the spaces between said bars communicating and insulating material between the a )acont surfaces of said rings and bars.

1. In a commutator, the combination of al plurality of flanged supporting rings, a. series of commutator bars arranged around the peripheries of said rings and provided with notches into which the flanges of, said -supporting rings extend, and a hardened plastic insulating material located between and adhering to the adjacent surfaces of fsaid rings and bars.

5. In a commut tor, the combination of?,

a plurality of s ac d sup orting rings having flan es, a p urality oi) commutator bars arrange around the eripheries of Said rings and having notclies into which the flanges of said supporting rings extend, and adhesive means for holding said rings and bars in proper relative position.

t 6. In a commutator, the combination of y,a pluralit of spaced supporting rings provided wit flanges and having openings connecting the space between them with the atmosphere, a plurality of spaced nominata-tor bars provided with notches into which the flanges of said supporting rings extend, the spaces between said `bars communicating with the spaces between said rings, and a connecting but electrically insulating said bars and said rings.l

7. In a comniutator, the combination of a plurality of spaced supporting rings provided with flanges, a coating of hardened plastic'insulating material over the flanged portions of said rings, and a sei'iies of comniutator bars having notches arranged to receive .said flanged portions of the 'supporting rings, portions of the cominutator bars being set into said coating of insulating materia 8. In a connnutator, the combination 'of a plurality of spac'ed supporting rings having flanges, a series of' coiiimutator bars arranged around thc peripheries'of said rings and having notches into which the flanges of the supporting rings extend, and hardened plastic insulating material between the adjacent surfaces of said bars and rings and alone holding said parts in proper relative position.

9. Ina eommutator, the combination of a plurality of spaced-su porting rings having" flanges, a plurality o commutator bars arranged around the peripheries of said rings bond of insulating material mechanically and having notches into which the anges of as my invention I aix my signature in the said supporting rings extend, and means for presence of two Witnesses` this 7th day of holding said rings and bars in proper rela- September A. D. 1907.

tive position while leaving the bars free WILLIAM S. SUTTON. 5 from any longitudinal stresses due to clamp- Witnesses:

ing pressure. G. S. MoCoNooHm,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing EMERSON ELA. 

